Liberia’s uncertain future: Baptist preacher-last of 3 murdered victims laid to rest

WARNING: VIEWER’S DISCRETION IS ADVISED!

In 1977, Liberia’s former president Dr. William Tolbert Jr., won the admiration of Liberians across the world when he executed, by hanging 10 Marylanders, some government officials, found guilty of unlawful killing of another human being. Little did he know that 40 years later, his own son would become a victim of reckless murder. 

By James Kokulo Fasuekoi|Editor-Publisher

This December, the West African nation of Liberia will begin its bicentennial festivities to mark 200 years since descendants of freed Black American Slaves arrived on the African shores in search of a new home, away from the new world where their ancestors had been ferried and enslaved for centuries.

The event is expected to attract local and foreign dignitaries, especially from within the Americo-Liberian circle. The occasion will also provide a moment of storytelling; how one group of Africans persevered amid unimaginable trials in a strange land. It is certainly set to beget tears of joy.

Nevertheless, two key individuals of Americo-Liberian descent will be missing from this festival. Rev. William R. Tolbert III, and statesman Hilary Tubman, sons of former Liberian presidents William R. Tolbert Jr., and William V.S. Tubman were recently murdered separately in their homes in the capital. 

A third victim, a woman named Maude Elliott was also gruesomely killed in her Brewerville suburb home, October 31, 2021. She previously worked for the local national immigration bureau.  

Officials of the country’s Justice Department broke the cold news through the local media and offered a bounty of US $15,000 to persons that might provide state’s securities with valuable information leading to the arrest of the murderers. 

State Police have meanwhile carried out several arrests of people they believed were associated with at least two of the killings so far while still pursuing other leads.

The murder of the trio came at a period when reckless and ritual killings of innocent Monrovia residents including children, had reached an unprecedented level with reports of a murder or disappearance almost every 2-3 weeks. (At the time of this publication a man who had suddenly disappeared in Grand Bassa Dist. #1 while reportedly visiting a business partner weeks ago hadn’t been found). 

Until the gruesome murders of the three individuals the state’s national police Chief Patrick Sudue, along with his deputies had vehemently denied secret killings in the country, denying such news as “Fake New.” They however confirmed one in Maryland incident associated with ritual killing. 

Col. Sudue blamed local politicians whom he alleged manufactured the news in order to alarm citizens and besmear Weah’s government’s image. Police had in the past similarly scapegoated the independent media in the country rather than go after the suspected criminals. 

However, when the press began publishing photographs of some of the victims including children whose vital body parts had been extracted by their killers, the police offered no word of explanation. Nor did its press bureau deny the recent barbaric murders of Ms. Maude Elliott, Tolbert III and Tubman.            

Of the three murders, Rev. Tolbert, a graduate of Cornell College, USA, was the last to be interred. His burial took place last Saturday, Dec. 11 at the Tolbert’s family cemetery in Bentol, about 25 miles north of Monrovia.

Before his burial friends and relatives had staged a night of wake-keeping over the remains of the deceased December 10, at the Zion Praise Baptist Church in Bentol, the church the victim pastored up till the time of his murder.   

The killing of Tolbert III, November 1 added more grief to the Tolbert Family’s tragedy. The deceased’s own father, former President William R. Tolbert Jr., had been brutally murdered in a 1980 military coup, toppling more than a century old Settlers’ dynasty in the West African country.

When the coup makers suspected President Tolbert’s elder son, A.B. Tolbert-a man very popular and influential through his generosity-was hiding out in a local foreign embassy, they fetched him out and killed him for fear he might retaliate his father’s overthrow and subsequent murder.

“President Tolbert was assassinated; A.B. was murdered and now his brother has also been butchered!!!” wrote veteran journalist, Joe Bartuah, in a November 17, 2021 Facebook post.

For those who experienced Liberia’s back-to-back civil wars of nearly 14 years, the ongoing killings highlights the nation’s current weakness and predicament and further raises questions about her domestic security and its future after a protracted  war that destroyed an estimated 300,000 lives. 

The Tolbert and George Families, in a statement published by New Dawn Newspaper November 16, 2021 called on Liberia’s law enforcement agencies to apply “maximum efforts and utmost professionalism to determine the cause” and also persons that may be responsible for their son’s gruesome murder.

It further urged the authorities to apply “appropriate remedies in the circumstances as this will restore confidence in Liberia’s Public Security and its National and International image.”

The victim was named National Peace Ambassador by former President Sirleaf in 2015 and was retained by the present regime. He followed in the footsteps of his slain father and became a Baptist minister.

“Rather than going into politics, he saw his role of rebuilding as both a religious and a socio-economic healer” according to the September 29, 2017 News Center publication.

Like his father, Amb. Tolbert was an accomplished scholar and a fine gentleman. Retired professor Dr. D. Elwood Dunn and Dr. Saqui Malakpa, a professor at the University of Toledo, Ohio, who are long-time friends of the Tolberts, agreed.

Hence, scores wonder as to who might have craved to harm or kill Rev. Tolbert.  

Dr. Malakpa, visually-impaired, credits his life’s successes to ex-President William Tolbert and described his son, late Tolbert III as a “delightful gentleman”, in an email he wrote to Global Ekklesia, when asked to share his view about the deceased.

Both Professors Malakpa and Dunn have separately served as orators for Liberia’s National Independence Day celebrations.  

Reckless and ritual murders are among the ugly legacies the Weah regime inherited from its predecessor, Sirleaf’s.

Under ex-President Sirleaf, reckless and ritual killings became commonplace nationwide. 

The national police along with the national justice-court system-Sirleaf said she didn’t trust the courts-did very little to adjudicate homicide/ritual related cases and deliver justice to offended parties. Such action placed hundreds of murder cases in the courts or police’s “unsolved” files.

The action appeared to have created frustrations among rape, murder victims and their relatives, thus causing the offended parties to often resort to “jungle justice” via mob-violence, seeing that the court couldn’t provide a remedy. 

Murder as a whole, whether done for ritual purposes or carry out recklessly, impinges on God’s Ten Commandments. Idolatry and murder are two of the biggest sins in the world that God hates (Exodus 20:3 “You shall have no other gods before me.” & Deut. 5:17 “Thou shalt not kill”).

Former President Tolbert, a one-time Baptist preacher, in 1977 set a world record after he ordered ten Marylanders, among who were two government officials, executed by hanging when all ten were convicted in the ritual murder of Moses Tweh.

President George Weah, who came to power and initially made a wild claim that he in the past fought for “human rights”, by contrast, hasn’t so far taken a drastic action to curb the ongoing killings in the country.

A Methodist preacher for that matter, his government reneged on promises he made while attending United Nations New York 2018 meeting concerning establishing a war crimes court for Liberia. 

So far his regime has established a reputation for itself as one that is known to not only provide “safe haven” for former warlords of the country but also known to accommodate them morally and politically and yet blames “politicians” and journalists for allegedly discouraging “investors” or U.S. leaders from meaningfully engaging with Liberia.

For Dr. Elwood Dunn, the country ought not continue on the current path, and neither he said, should a single leader be held responsible for unfolding events.

Asked bluntly by Global Ekklesia as to whether he, like many Liberians, was worried about the future of the country he calls home, Professor Dunn responded yes, without any pretense.

“We have hurt ourselves, over and over and we can’t continue this way” he said, pointing out a need for people to stand up and speak up against the ills of society. 

He reasoned that in order for the nation to move forward everyone needed to be part of the solution, even journalists.

Professor Dunn expressed regret over setbacks that Sirleaf government’s two major projects, the  TRC and VISION 2030 encountered. 

He urged the nation to embark on a vigorous reconciliation campaign in order to unite our people.

JESUS CHRIST IS COMING SOON! ARE YOU READY?